F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote that there are no second acts in American lives. Tanner Hall is one example of there not only being second acts but possible third acts. If you don’t know the continuing saga of this ski icon, “Like a Lion” spells it out and it’s the most emotionally draining tale of the 21st century ski world. While positioned as a documentary “Like A Lion” has all the hallmarks of a great drama with the devastating tragic elements that add the dimension of legend. There’s the rise of the young phenom, his struggle to further his god-given talent in a brand-new sport against a world that doesn’t understand. There’s the seemingly career ending injuries and the subsequent triumphant recovery. There’s the crippling injuries of his brother-of-a-different-mother, pro-skier C.R Johnson, his miraculous recovery and 2nd set of fatal injuries which create more mental and alcohol-related havoc in Hall’s life. There’s Hall’s addiction to the pain-killers needed to heal from his injuries. Then there’s Hall’s 2nd set of nasty injuries from a crash at Steven’s Pass in 2009. Seeing the footage of Hall in competition is riveting. In his eyes you see the focus of a stone-cold killer. When he talks about skiing, you hear the voice of a crusader: he has religious-like fervor for his sport and the determination of a total warrior. In his book “Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell recently highlighted the need for 10,000 hours of practice to achieve virtuosity in any serious art. Between the ages of 3 and 17, Hall looks like he put in twice that. There’s a reason he has more X-Games medals than anyone else (as of this writing). Hall has the talent and he put in the work. Hall’s 2009 injury makes for a cliff-hanger ending because Hall’s career still seems like it’s mid-point. As of the fall of 2010 Hall started training again. Will he make a comeback on the same scale as last time? I guess we’ll see. His foot-print on this sport is already massive and like any good movie I don’t want this story to end just yet. By Mark “The Attorney General” Quail